Legato Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Legato Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 73.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,625 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 35,120 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 521,300 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $13,747,000 after purchasing an additional 33,600 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 46.6% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,767 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $105,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 25,533 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 10,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 2.6%

American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $17.57 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.16 and a 200 day moving average of $21.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.38. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $50,002.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AEO shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Barclays raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.45.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO) is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The company’s flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing.

American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe.